Do the Ivy League Universities Matter Anymore?

Charlotte Figler, 27

This morning I was checking my phone when I saw an Instagram reel my mom had sent me. It was a man with a photo background of Duke in the frame and the headline “Duke University's Undergraduate Tuition, fees will surpass $92K for the 2025-26 School Year.” In this video, he claims the school you attend, whether it is an Ivy League or community college, does not matter, as long as you achieve a couple of different aspects in your time there. He discussed things such as helpful teachers, important mentors, year-long or semester-long projects, active participation in social events and extracurricular activities, and having an internship. He concluded by saying, any school can provide the same networking opportunities as the top ones, as long as you reach out and stay curious about new opportunities in your field. While I do agree with some aspects of his opinion, there are plenty of challenges with this mindset. Today, with the new popularity of SEC schools and their benefits, more people are beginning to turn away from the belief that the Ivies are the best in every manner.

While doing well at any school is important, doing well at an Ivy can most positively impact your life and income. Across the top 10% of students at Ivy League schools, their median annual earnings 10 years post-graduation amount to over $70,000 (Ingraham). For every other school, the median is around $34,000. This difference becomes more pronounced as the years go on. The top Ivy League graduates make around $200,000 or more 10 years after starting school, while the top grads of other schools make just under $70,000. While this may not necessarily be the main reason to attend an Ivy, it is an interesting take when considering the level of rigor that education would provide.

Some potential Ivy League enrollees wonder how likely an Ivy League degree is to help with getting hired in the first place, despite a potential higher salary later in life. Post-COVID, a changing society, and more companies recently moving away from the Northeast, have all led to a growth in who companies that are willing to hire, which isn’t the stereotypical Ivy League grad. Banking, law, and investment firms in the past have focused most of their recruiting on Ivy League graduates, among other selective schools. According to Whitford and Torchinsky, of the people hiring today, 33% said they are less likely to hire an Ivy League grad than they were 5 years ago. 42% said they are more likely to hire public university graduates, and 37% said they are more likely to hire graduates of non-Ivy League private colleges than they were 5 years ago. Today, plenty of hard-working people graduate from a multitude of schools and get hired by very respectable companies.

What about your network post-graduation? Does this differ between Ivy League and other universities? Some networks are better than others, depending on the school and the opportunities you present yourself with. Some Ivys do not have a better program than other schools. For example, the business school at UPenn, which is ranked number one in the US, and Cornell, another Ivy League, barely break the top 10 in the country. Other non-Ivies such as the University of Texas at Austin and the University of Michigan are higher in the top 10 compared to the Ivys. But, Ivy League schools come with certain opportunities, such as the Harvard Club which helps with global networking or the Yale University office of Career Strategy, which helps with internships by connecting people with alumni and other employers. These networking opportunities exist in all the Ivys (Moon).

What about student debt for some students? Crippling student debt is the unfortunate reality of many students' lives post-grad. Federal and private loan student debt in the US amounts to $1.75 trillion (Hanson). Is an Ivy League school really worth it if you’re most likely to be in massive debt to the state or the school for the rest of your life? Why not go to a school where you can get money off, and possibly have the same outcome? I believe that this is a very important factor when picking a college. The cost of college has increased at a rate of 6.8% annually. This means by the time a sophomore in high school enrolls into college, the prices will likely only continue to rise. While college will always be expensive, with the help of scholarships and money off from financial aid, going to a public institution might be the more preferable (and attainable) option. The average Ivy League tuition is around $90,000, compared to the average non-Ivy tuition, which is around $40,000-$55,000 per year for private schools, and ranging from $10,000-$40,000 for public schools, based on in or out of state tuition.

Overall, the Ivy League schools are very prestigious and selective schools with a promise of great education, network, and post-grad opportunities. They are also extremely expensive, don't exactly guarantee a job after graduation, and some programs actually are better for the field of work you wish to pursue. Despite all of this, one thing is clear and true from the video: how you do in school will ultimately help you later in life. If you go to an Ivy and get a great education, but then suffer from years of student debt all throughout college and after graduation, will that cripple your learning experience? You can still get a great education from a state school or private university, without the extra costs. While I personally am not pro or anti Ivy League schools, I do believe that a great education can come from what you make of it.